When you see the green expert checkmark on a wikiHow article, you can trust that the article was co-authored by a qualified expert.

This particular article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987, and worked as a veterinary surgeon for 7 years. Afterward, Dr. Elliott worked as a veterinarian at an animal clinic for over a decade.

The authors of this article cited 10 references, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Since there is so much cat overpopulation in the world, it's the job of a responsible cat owner to neuter, or castrate, their male cat. Many male cat owners don't neuter their cats because they think that since their cat won't have babies, it doesn't matter. However, your cat can mate with female cats in the area and contribute to the overpopulation.[1] If you've adopted an adult male cat and you're not sure whether he's neutered, you can learn to check and see if your cat is neutered.

Steps

Part 1

Checking Your Cat Yourself

1

Position your cat. To check your cat yourself, you need to have access to his buttocks area in order to examine his genital region. You should position your cat with his rear end toward you. Once he is positioned, you need to pull his tail straight up so you can see his genital region. You may need to get someone to help you if you think your cat will squirm around while you do this.

You can stroke your cat's back and talk to him to make him put up his tail on his own. This way, you won't have to hold it and he will be more relaxed.[2]

You might also want to put on a pair of latex gloves since you are going to be feeling around your cat's genitals. Make sure they are thin enough that you can still feel through them.

2

Move the fur out of the way, if necessary. If your cat is fluffy, you may need to move excess fur out of the way to see the genital region. Move the fur out of the way to look underneath at the genital region. Once you spread the fur between his legs, you should see his penis and anus.

Make sure you are careful and don't push too hard. You don't want to hurt your cat.

If your cat is short haired, you may not need this step because this area will be obvious without having to move any fur around.

If you cat is calm or docile, you may be able to do this with him lying on his back. If you try this, grab the scruff of his neck and turn him over. This will keep him in place and help protect your hands and arms in case he lashes out at you with his claws.[3]

3

Check for the testicles. When your cat gets neutered, he has his testicles removed. Because of this, you can feel this area to see if your cat has been neutered. Look for his testicle sac, which is located below the tail and anus and above the penis. There should be a small bag there. Pick it up and gently feel what's inside. If there are hard balls inside, your cat still has his testicles and he is not neutered. If the sac is soft, he most likely has been neutered recently. This is usually accompanied by a shaved scrotum as well.

If there is no sac to be held, he may have been neutered more than a month ago and the sac has gone flat.

If you find one testicle, your cat has not been neutered.

This is not a 100% guarantee that your cat has been neutered. If you cat is young, he also may not have dropped his testicles yet. He also may suffer from cryptorchidism, a condition where neither of the testicles have dropped.[4][5]

4

Measure the length between the anus and penis. There is another way you can check to see if your cat has been neutered. Pull up his tail. Measure the spacing between his anus and his penis. If the area is more than 1 inch wide, then your cat has likely been neutered.

If your cat is young, the spacing needs to be a little over 1/2 an inch.[6]

Part 2

Using Alternatives to Check

1

Look for it in writing. When you're buying or adopting a cat or kitten, ask if he comes with any paperwork. There may be a certificate or letter from a vet to prove that the cat has been neutered.

Also don't be afraid to ask. If you are buying the cat from a pet store or adoption agency that doesn't give you any paperwork, ask them if they know if your new cat has been neutered. It is not an indelicate question and makes you more responsible as an owner.[7]

2

Check his ear. If there is no information available when you adopt your cat, or if you found a stray cat, you can check his inner ear for tattoos. Check for tattoos or clipped ears. These signs usually mean the cat has been neutered.

There is one tattoo that doesn't mean he has been neutered. If you see a letter M, that means the cat has been micro-chipped.[8]

3

Look at his lower body fur. When you pick up the cat, look at the fur around his lower body. If it is shaved or if it looks shorter than the rest of his fur, he may have been neutered. Vets have to shave off the fur in that area before performing the neutering operation, so it can be an indication.

This is not a foolproof method, so you should try another method in addition to this one.[9]

4

Notice if his urine smells particularly bad. Intact tom cats produce a particularly pungent and offensive smelling urine. If your cat produces very smelly urine, then he may be intact or just recently neutered.

5

Ask your veterinarian. If you have tried all other methods and are still not sure, you should ask your veterinarian if the cat has been neutered. She will be able to tell you because she can look for things on your cat that you might not be aware of.

Let them know when you go in what your concern is. If you find out that your cat isn't neutered, you should make an appointment to get it done as soon as possible.[10]

Community Q&A

Dr. Elliott is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987, and worked as a veterinary surgeon for 7 years. Afterward, Dr. Elliott worked as a veterinarian at an animal clinic for over a decade.

On the grand scale of things, there are lots of cats in need of homes, so adding more kittens is not ideal. From a health point of view, if the female is fit and healthy, and is an adult herself, then most have a healthy pregnancy and few problems giving birth. However, if you think your cat is pregnant, make some preparations such as registering with a vet (in case she has problems kittening) and read up on what to expect during the birthing process so you can spot if things go wrong.

Is it really that bad not to fix a cat? I've had a tom and queen have one litter where only one kitten survived, and now that kitten has had a litter of five. Everyone's happy and healthy.

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

It's not the worst thing in the world, it's just that not everyone is going to take all those kittens into their home. They end up in shelters. Animal shelters are FULL of homeless cats, and many of those get put down. It would be best if, instead of allowing their cats to breed indiscriminately and make more kittens, people would adopt cats from shelters.

Can a cat's vasectomy be reversed if it's not done properly? Our neutered boy has recently changed drastically, growing bigger and even meowing very differently than normal. Is it actually possible?

wikiHow Contributor

Community Answer

Considering a vasectomy gets rid of something instead of just changing something, no, it cannot be undone. However, it's normal for a cat to get fat and meow differently after getting fixed. Just remember, even though he sounds a little weird, he's very much the same cat. He may even be friendlier after being fixed!

To tell if a cat is neutered, start by checking to see if the tip of its ear has been clipped, which is a common sign that the cat has been neutered. Alternatively, check its inner ear for a tattoo, but be aware that the letter “M” means that the cat has been microchipped. If your cat’s ears aren’t clipped or tattooed, put on latex gloves and hold the cat securely so you can check its genital region. Then, locate its testicle sac, which is below its tail and anus and above its penis, and feel around gently. If you feel 1 or 2 hard balls inside, the cat hasn’t been neutered.

"I adopted a male adult cat from the Humane Society and along with the other papers, I was given a certificate that showed proof that he was neutered by one of their vets. I have had him for two months and he exhibits many signs of aggression, along with appearing to be in rut. I wanted to be sure of my suspicions so I looked this up. After reading your helpful info, I checked him and he is definitely NOT neutered! Thank you for your website."..." more

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Dlorah Evans

Mar 21, 2016

"This article was very helpful. I recently adopted a cat. They told me he was fixed, but he didn't look like he had been fixed. This article gave me all the tips on how to tell, and I was able to verify my cat was fixed."..." more

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Elizabeth Kramer

Feb 20, 2017

"I had my young male cat neutered, but didn't actually know what was done to him. I know now his testicles were removed, and hopefully, he will not spray or be aggressive with my other old female cat. "..." more

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Lesa Bass

Apr 4, 2016

"This article help me to confirmed my cat was neutered. I never had a male cat before. I'm so glad I didn't call the place I adopted the cat from. Saved me from a lot of embarrassment."..." more

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Katie Dowling

Apr 4, 2017

"This helped me because 1 of my kitten's testicles were really big and prominent, but now there's hardly anything. I was worried, but now it's put me at ease."..." more

Rated this article:

DB

Diane Burnham

Sep 16, 2016

"Thank you for the answers! There is a male stray cat that I think is maybe a little over a year old, and I have developed a relationship with it."..." more

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Risn O'Connell

Jun 17

"The after care of a neutered cat was very useful for me and my cat, thank you."